Guide to Hiring Employees in Singapore

Richmond Corporate Advisory Pte. Ltd.

IntroductionSingapore is a country known for its excellent working conditions.

From employment laws to competitive salaries, the city-state has gained a reputation for being a suitable environment for both local

and migrant employees.

Though the living expenses in the Republic is also considered one of the highest, this is offset by the fairly low income tax for both business owners and individuals, as well as work-life balance

imposed by its employment laws.

Singapore’s Employment Act

All working laws of Singapore are regulated by the Singapore Employment Act.

Considered as the city-state’s main labor law, it covers and provides the basic terms and

conditions of an employee under a contract of service.

Who is covered by the Singapore

Employment Act?

All employees, both local and foreign are under the jurisdiction of the Act. The following are the terms in which an individual can be

hired:

1 Full-time 2 Part-time

3 Temporary 4 Contract

Depending on the terms with the employer, an individual under

contract can be paid hourly, daily, monthly, or piece rated.

Working Hours: The Terms

The Employment Act strictly regulates the working hours of laborers. Employees are not supposed to work for over eight

hours a day, 12 for shift workers.

This caps the total working hours to not be more than 44 hours per week.

For individuals who work less than 35 hours a week, they are considered part-time employees and fall under the coverage of the

Employment of Part-Time Employees Regulations.

Working Hours

Individuals are not permitted to work for more than 72 hours of overtime per month, a limit which

should be followed unless the Ministry of Manpower specifically granted an exemption to the hiring

company.

Overtime Hours

All employers agreeing to overtime labor are also mandated to pay their employees allowance of at least

1.5 times of the hourly basic rate.

Overtime pay is considered a given for all working individuals with monthly salaries lower than $2,000 and

workmen with salaries less than $4,500.

Overtime Rate

Employee Classifications

A person, firm, corporation, or company contracted to undertake exclusively, in addition, or in conjunction with any other business, or any type of constructional work.

Constructional Contractor

Any individual employed to do domestic services on private premises. (e.g. house, garden, or stable

servants, drivers).

Domestic Worker

Individuals whose contracts involve doing manual labour. This category can include apprentices and artisans but

exclude domestic workers and seamen  

Workman

Individuals under this category are those practicing supervisory functions. They have the authority of making decisions on core business issues like performance assessment and recruitment, participate in formulating strategies and policies for a business,

or directly manage or run it.

Manager / Executive

Anyone holding a work pass issued by the Ministry of Manpower. Work passes include Work Permits, S Pass,

and Employment Pass.  

Foreign Worker

Rest Days, Annual Leaves, Holidays and Other Conditions of Service

All employees are mandated to be provided one unpaid rest day a week.

The day of leave (usually Sunday) can be changed by the employer. For those engaged in shift work,

the employer has the option to substitute any continuous period of 30 hours as a rest day.

  

Rest Days

For leaves, all individuals who have served an employer for not less than 3 months are legally

entitled to 7 days of annual leave, with respect to the first 12 months of continuous service with the

same employer.

Annual Leave

The employee’s number of leaves is to be added an additional day for every subsequent 12 months

of continuous service (with the same employer) subject to a maximum of 14 days of leave.

Annual Leave

Working individuals in Singapore enjoy 11 public holidays and eight major festivals annually.

This mandate is part of the city-state’s efforts to support the cultural and religious diversity of their

country.

Public Holidays

Employer’s Responsibilities

All Singaporean or Singaporean Permanent Residents are entitled to have CPF contributions

from their employers. This includes everyone working in Singapore under a contract of service and those

who are employed in casual, part-time, or permanent basis.

 

Central Provident Fund (CPF)

CPF contributions – depending on the type of wage payments the employee receives, CPF can be considered

payable or non-payable. This contribution helps employees in meeting their retirement, healthcare, and housing needs.

Skills Development Levy (SDL) – a compulsory levy that employers need to pay for all of their employees under

permanent, part-time, temporary, and casual basis.  

Statutory Filings

What’s in an Employment Contract?

Starting April 2016, employers are required to issue Key Employment Terms (KETs) in writing to all individuals

covered by the jurisdiction of the Employment Act.

There are two types of employment contracts in Singapore: • Contract of Service which is an agreement between the

employer and the employee.

• Contract for Service wherein an independent contractor (e.g. vendor or self-employed individual) is engaged for a

fee to complete a project/assignment.

Key Employment Terms

Itemised pay slips are required to be given to the employee together with their payment or within three working days since payment was made.

Employers are also required to keep and update a detailed employment record of their employees.

Itemised Pay Slips

Hiring Foreign Manpower

The Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA) is the governing body that regulates

the employment of foreign workers.

Employment of Foreign Manpower Act

The Foreign Worker Levy (FWL), also termed ‘levy’, is a pricing mechanism that applies to foreign

workers in Singapore. Each company should follow a Foreign Worker Quota which mandates the limit

on the number of foreign workers that can be hired by the company.

Foreign Worker Levy

Work Passes

This pass is given to professionals, managers, and executives. Candidates must have acceptable qualifications and earn at least $3,300 per

month.

Singapore Employment Pass

This pass applies to foreign entrepreneurs who want to operate and start businesses in Singapore.

Entrepass

Candidates are high-earning existing Employment Pass holders or

overseas foreign professionals. This type of pass offers more flexibility than the

Employment Pass.

Personalised Employment Pass

This work pass is for mid-level skilled staff who must have a monthly salary of

at least $2,200.

S Pass

This work pass is for foreign domestic workers operating in the

manufacturing, marine process, construction, or services sector.

Work Permit for foreign worker

This work pass is for confinement nannies who can work in Singapore for up to 16 weeks, starting from the day

of birth of the employer’s child.

Work Permit for confinement nanny

This work pass is for foreign performers working in the entertainment industry

(e.g. bars, hotels, nightclubs).

Work Permit for performing artiste

Recruitment Guidelines

Singapore companies looking to hire can post their job vacancies

through Jobs Bank or be a place-and-train employer.

Do’s and Don’ts

Objective and fair selection must be applied through the whole process

of the recruitment process.

Staff members involved in the recruitment should also be properly trained to avoid discriminatory

practices.

Do’s and Don’ts

Advertisements should state clearly the required qualifications, knowledge, experience, and skills required of the

candidate.

Employers are not allowed to require a specific attribute unless it is really required for the job and the reason is stated in the

job advertisement.

Do’s and Don’ts

Advertisements should state clearly the required qualifications, knowledge, experience, and skills required of the

candidate.

Employers are not allowed to require a specific attribute unless it is really required for the job and the reason is stated in the

job advertisement.

Do’s and Don’ts

If the job really requires proficiency in a certain language, employers should

explain the reason behind their requirement.

This is the same for gender, with words and phrases suggesting a

particular gender not encouraged.

Do’s and Don’ts

ResourcesMinistry of Manpower:

www.mom.gov.sg

Richmond Corporate Advisory Pte. Ltd. www.rbcrca.com.sg